Scheduled MonumentsWalesGaer Roman Site
Roman · Fort

Gaer Roman Site

Wales
Cadw SAM MG009
Period
Roman
Site type
Fort
Broad class
Defence
Nation
Wales
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Cadw

Overview

History & significance

Gaer Roman Site is a Roman fort situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference MG009. The fort occupies ground underlain by Wenlock Rocks, a formation of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone dating to the Wenlock epoch. This solid bedrock foundation provided a stable base for the substantial structures required of a military installation, whilst the varied geology of the site would have offered opportunities for extracting building materials and stone.

Roman forts of this period typically followed a standardised playing-card layout, with a central headquarters building, barracks, stores and commander's residence arranged within a defensive rampart and ditch system. The Wenlock-derived soils and bedrock surrounding the fort would have presented specific challenges and advantages for Roman engineers undertaking construction and maintenance work in the Welsh landscape.

The site preserves evidence of Rome's military presence in Wales and continues to provide valuable information about the organisation, logistics and daily life of the soldiers stationed there. The fort's location and design reflect the strategic importance of Roman military installations in controlling and administering the region during the occupation period.

Gaer Roman Site is a scheduled monument protected by Cadw under reference MG009. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Gaer Roman Site?

Gaer Roman Site is a Roman fort situated in Wales and protected by Cadw under reference MG009.

What period does Gaer Roman Site date from?

Gaer Roman Site dates from the roman period, and is classified as a fort. It is one of over 32,000 scheduled monuments protected across the UK.

Who is responsible for protecting Gaer Roman Site?

Gaer Roman Site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Cadw — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Wales. The official designation reference is MG009.

What other scheduled monuments are near Gaer Roman Site?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Pen y Coed Hillfort, Cyfronydd (4.2 km), Mound in Churchyard (5.8 km), Tregynon Moated Site (6.1 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Gaer Roman Site

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 13 strands of Gaer Roman Site's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Gaer Roman Site

Gaer Roman Site stands on Wenlock Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Wenlock. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

The wider landscape

Around Gaer Roman Site

Offa's DykeArchaeological site · ~14.5 miles